“By the way, Junior Brother said he wants both of our fake identities to be his cultivation partners.”
“Master, I heard Junior Brother wants both of us to attend the entrance competition?”
Qi Xiao came to pay her respects to her master.
True Master Dao Sword nodded slightly.
“That is correct.
You should understand your junior brother’s intention…
I also want to quickly identify who among the twelve peaks of the Heavenly Dao Sect wants my life.”
Qi Xiao wasn’t particularly concerned about this.
Demonstrating techniques before a crowd of disciples wasn’t something to be embarrassed about.
“Speaking of which, Master, the other day Junior Brother asked me about Eldest and Second Senior Brothers’ whereabouts.
He probably intends to…”
At that moment, True Master Dao Sword’s expression suddenly became awkward.
Qi Xiao noticed her master’s look and asked with confusion, “Master, you seem to have something to say?”
True Master Dao Sword was silent for a moment, averting her gaze.
“Actually… I summoned your Eldest Senior Brother to return.”
“Ah?”
Qi Xiao truly couldn’t maintain her composure this time.
“Master, summoning Eldest Senior Brother back… isn’t that pushing him into a pit of fire?”
She herself didn’t mind much, but whether Eldest Senior Brother would mind, Qi Xiao wasn’t sure.
According to his original itinerary, he should have fully comprehended the Ruthless Sword Dao, entered the Nascent Soul stage, and only then returned from his travels.
If Eldest Senior Brother had fully grasped the Ruthless Dao, then even if transformed into a young woman like them, he probably wouldn’t care too much.
But that was precisely the problem!
Eldest Senior Brother’s Ruthless Sword Dao… he hadn’t fully mastered it yet!
He couldn’t truly achieve complete indifference.
Moreover, Junior Brother didn’t do anything to Master because of her high cultivation, and he didn’t do anything to Qi Xiao because she had shown him kindness.
But Eldest Senior Brother…
Although Junior Brother was only at late Foundation Establishment and Eldest Senior Brother at late Golden Core, if they were recorded in the Mystic Maiden Mirror and couldn’t harm Junior Brother, then given Eldest Senior Brother’s personality and rigidity, he wouldn’t be able to outmaneuver Junior Brother.
At that point, I’m afraid…
This was truly pushing Senior Brother into a pit of fire!
Although Qi Xiao knew her master was, at her core, a very selfish person, what benefit did calling Eldest Senior Brother back bring to Master?
Come to think of it, after Master herself was transformed into a woman, she hadn’t warned Qi Xiao either.
Was it a case of ‘since I got rained on, I want to tear everyone else’s umbrella’?
Under normal circumstances, if Qi Xiao spoke like this, True Master Dao Sword would definitely be displeased, considering Qi Xiao disrespectful and lacking in reverence for her master.
But in the current situation, True Master Dao Sword had absolutely no grounds to refute it.
She could only say in a small voice, “I… I am not pushing your Eldest Senior Brother into a pit of fire…
If… if we can skillfully resolve the conflict between your junior brother and Eldest Senior Brother, it might… not be a bad thing.”
Master, how can you even say that!
Qi Xiao was rarely left speechless, but she was genuinely at a loss for words.
She couldn’t help but lower her evaluation of her master’s character another notch.
But in the end, this was still her master.
She herself wasn’t a paragon of morality either.
Everyone was here for cultivation.
“In that case, when will Eldest Senior Brother return?”
“In about ten days.”
“Ten days… just after the entrance competition.
Well then, since Master intends to mediate, I cannot fail to cooperate.
I hope we can resolve the conflict between them then.”
She genuinely thought this.
After all, if Junior Brother truly clashed with Eldest Senior Brother, her own position would become very awkward.
She just wanted to cultivate in peace.
Since Junior Brother’s return, there had been too many incidents, and everything was quite chaotic.
If things became even more chaotic, finding a peaceful place for cultivation might become difficult.
Even from this perspective, she hoped Junior Brother and Eldest Senior Brother could resolve their conflict.
Though she knew perfectly well that was a very simple matter.
“By the way, Junior Brother said he wants both of our fake identities to be his cultivation partners.”
He seems quite pleased with himself.”
Mentioning this, Qi Xiao watched as her master’s face flushed bright red.
Hold on, why are you blushing?
You’re not actually looking forward to this, are you?
“It’s only a fake relationship, but it can help us avoid a lot of trouble.
At the same time, your junior brother originally planned to stir things up a bit to disrupt the sect and see whether anyone would try to contact him.
Our fake identities will be that I’m his niece, and you’re his younger sister.
If someone intends to make a move against us, they’ll most likely approach these fake identities first.”
But if we are your junior brother’s cultivation partners, they would certainly contact him first.
Your junior brother is, after all, connected to the demonic sects.
If anyone contacts him, he will surely be able to discern their identity and find clues.”
Weren’t you fooled by Junior Brother?
You actually believe that line of reasoning?
Isn’t that too idealistic?
This is clearly Junior Brother wanting to take advantage—this guy wants to have his cake and eat it too, with both master and disciple!
Truth be told, Qi Xiao wasn’t surprised by Li Wangyan’s thinking.
Putting herself in another’s shoes, she felt she probably wouldn’t mind having both master and disciple either.
A convenient opportunity; why not?
It was just fortunate Junior Brother wasn’t a transmigrator; otherwise, he might have genuinely tried something with her and her master.
“In that case, we appear together on the day of the entrance competition?”
“Exactly.
Afterward, we will move within the peak under the names Ning Shuang and Qi Huan.”
The two discussed and finalized their plans for the day.
* * * *
Li Wangyan stealthily made his way to a cave a hundred li outside the sect.
There, a young woman in a red dress was waiting.
A crimson lotus sigil bloomed at the center of her forehead, lending her an especially bewitching allure.
“The things I asked for, Hong Lian.”
The young woman called Hong Lian shot him a sidelong glance and handed over a storage ring.
“Some people are so good to their senior sister!
Making another woman who likes him specially run to Heavenly Artifice City just to buy a Golden Core-stage gown for her!
How come I’ve never received such a gift?”
“Senior Sister showed me immense kindness.
As the saying goes, a drop of water of kindness shall be repaid with a gushing spring.
Senior Sister gifted me Foundation Establishment treasures; I naturally gift her a Golden Core gown.”
He answered quite frankly, then smiled at Hong Lian.
“Besides, it’s not like I made you run for nothing.”
“You mean that technique you gave me?
It is indeed a powerful technique.
But you know perfectly well that’s not what I want.”
She approached Li Wangyan with graceful steps.
“What I want, you know very clearly.”
“Hong Lian, we are friends.”
“But I don’t want to be friends.”
“…Don’t think I don’t know what being the Saintess of the Life-Severing Sect entails.”
Hearing his words, the light in Hong Lian’s eyes dimmed slightly.
Then, she continued with a smile.
“You’re quite well-informed.
You even know about that?
There really is a powerful figure behind you.
“I was planning to use you as a cultivation furnace and drain you dry, but it seems that plan’s been exposed now.”
Li Wangyan simply shook his head calmly.
“You can’t do it.”
“Oh?
You think I’m so infatuated, so in love with you that I can’t bring myself to?”
Li Wangyan just looked at her calmly.
His gaze was like cold lake water.
“I’m not saying you can’t because of that.
I’m stating a fact.
You don’t have the capability.
You cannot do such a thing.”
His icy, indifferent gaze made Hong Lian unconsciously tighten her thighs.
That’s the look.
She remembered back in the secret realm, when this person was truly desperate and had to seek cooperation with her.
He had looked at her with exactly this gaze and said, “You will cooperate with me.”
Why could he state such unbelievable things with such calmness?
Even when his cultivation was crippled, when she had gone to mock him, he had looked at her with the same calmness and said, “I will restore my cultivation.”
And he had proven himself right.
Even though Hong Lian had been watching him, she didn’t know how he had restored his cultivation.
This person never lied.
“Ah~ You are such a fascinating man.”
“Speaking of which, the ambush team is ready.
You’re sure about targeting your Eldest and Second Senior Brothers?”
Li Wangyan smiled.
“Then what do you think I gave you the Heart-Excavation Bone-Gouging Curse for, enabling you to become the Saintess of the Life-Severing Sect?”
“But you plan to use the Bliss Curse on your Eldest Senior Brother!”
“That’s not strange at all.
Typically, cultivators who practice the Ruthless Dao can endure the most pain.
But they often forget one thing: people can endure pain, but have difficulty enduring happiness.”
His gaze was tranquil.
“Cultivators of the Ruthless Dao practice it to free themselves from the shackles of pain.
But they never consider the true root of pain.”
“The true root of pain?”
“Someone who has lost their family feels pain because they once experienced the good times of family life.
But if their father was cruel and tyrannical, and their mother never loved them—if their family itself was already a source of suffering—would they really hate the person who helped remove their parents?”
Hong Lian was stunned.
Li Wangyan simply smiled.
“So the root of pain lies in memories of past happiness.
Cultivators of the Ruthless Dao always believe they cannot forget past pain.
In truth, what they cannot forget is past happiness.
The Bliss Curse is precisely what can shatter their entire mental state.
“First, give him ultimate bliss. Then, give him ultimate pain.
Even if his heart is like steel, it will become as brittle as iron heated to extreme temperatures and then plunged into icy water—shattering at the slightest touch.
Only then… will my revenge be complete.”
Hong Lian pictured the scene and couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.
“You are a born great demon…
The sect will cooperate with your actions.
We have only one demand…
Make True Master Dao Sword defect to our side.
“That was your promise when you left.
You know, in places like our demonic sects, credibility matters even more.
You proved your credibility in the past.
Don’t let that precious trust disappear.”
“Of course,” Li Wangyan replied calmly.
“However… within the Heavenly Dao Sect, there may still be cultivators from other demonic sects.
The very ones who masterminded my tragedy back then.”
If I kill them… it won’t affect the Life-Severing Sect, will it?”
“Other sects, what do they matter to the Life-Severing Sect?
If they die, they die.”
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂